ISSE Virtual Conference 2023
The Egypt Obsession: Past, Present and Future
ISSE Virtual Conference
21-22 October 2023
The Egypt obsession—or ‘Egyptomania’—has been a cultural phenomenon for centuries and has had a profound impact on various aspects of society. Present in various forms throughout history, this mania for Egypt’s ancient past, has materialised in art, fashion, literature, and popular culture.
This conference aims to explore the historical background and evolution of Egyptomania, whilst also embracing the need to engage critically with the subject, considering the ethical implications of our (ongoing) fascination with Egypt’s ancient heritage and future directions for research.
This is an interdisciplinary conference, which welcomes papers on all aspects of research which engages with how ancient Egyptian culture has been received and interpreted by different audiences over time.
Conference Programme
Please click on the images below to access a copy of the programme for the conference and the abstracts and speaker bios.
A Note on a Change to the Programme
Please note that unfortunately, one paper has been removed from the schedule, as the speakers are no longer available to present at the conference:
Susana Mota and José das Candeias Sales
José de Sousa Larcher (1821-1913) and Impressões de Viagem (1901): A Portuguese Travel Narrative from the Early 20th Century that Spreads the Fascination with Ancient Egypt
However, the speakers have offered to present their paper as a lecture in 2024. Anyone who purchases a ticket for the conference will be also be given a free ticket to this event.
We apologise for any inconvenience.
Book Tickets
Please click on the links below in order to book tickets for the conference.
ISSE 2023 Virtual Conference Day One
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ISSE 2023 Virtual Conference Day Two
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Please note: Day One tickets include access to the Keynote Lecture by Dr. Chris Elliott, and Day Two tickets include access to our Special Guest Lecture by Dr. Jo Clyne and Dr. David Waldron (see details below).
Keynote Lecture
The keynote lecture for the conference will be provided by (ISSE Ambassador) Dr. Chris Elliott (Dr. Obelisk):
Egyptomania: A History in Obelisks
When Greece and Rome were young, Egypt was already ancient. For thousands of years, it has influenced other cultures, especially those of Europe and the United States. That influence, and the attitudes it inspires, are usually described as Egyptomania. But what is Egyptomania? Can we say that the esteem in which citizens of the Roman Empire held the deities of Egypt, which led them to build temples to them and decorate their homes with Egyptian artefacts, is the same motivation which drove the creation of Mozart’s Magic Flute and modern mummy fiction and films?
Obelisks are objects which have linked us to Ancient Egypt over the centuries from the time of the Roman Empire, and by examining the contexts in which they have appeared, this lecture will use them to examine our understanding of Egypt, and attitudes towards it, how these have changed or remained constant, and the past, present, and future of Egyptomania.
Dr. Chris Elliott (ISSE Ambassador) is a member of the Society of Authors and has been a member of the Egypt Exploration Society since 1993. He obtained his PhD in archaeology from the University of Southampton in 2019. He was a contributor to Imhotep Today—a volume on Egyptianising architecture in the series 'Encounters with Egypt' (published by UCL Press, 2003)—He has written on the influence of Ancient Egypt on our culture in the Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, KMT, Minerva, Aegyptiaca and more. He is the author of Egypt in England (published by Historic England, 2012), which looks at the use of Egyptian style in architecture and interiors across England and has recently published a new book on the history of the collecting of ancient Egyptian obelisks, entitled: Needles from the Nile: Obelisks and the Past as Property (published by Liverpool University Press). His main interest is the influence of Ancient Egypt after the Pharaonic period, extending to the present day, especially Egyptian style architecture and interiors, and the history of Egyptian obelisks outside Egypt.
Special Guest Lecture
We are delighted to also host a special guest lecture by Dr. Jo Clyne and Dr. David Waldron:
Performing Egyptomania through the Medium of Stage Magic
Historian Dr. David Waldron and historian/magician Dr. Jo Clyne have spent the past few years creating performances that combine historical research and magic stagecraft in order to entertain, educate and deceive.
Their new show is currently in development and uses this format to explore the impact of Egyptomania on the practice of stage magic and supernaturalism in the early twentieth century. Magic was one of the arts heavily influenced by the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 and the mysticism of ancient Egypt.
In this presentation, Jo and David will discuss the process of converting the aesthetics and ideologies of Egyptomania into magical effects and the challenges of performing representations rather than reenactments of ancient history. In doing so they will investigate the impact of colonialism, the ethics of ‘tomb raiding’ and funerary rituals, the commodification of human remains and examples of cultural appropriation in popular late 19th and early 20th century culture.
Dr. David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University (Australia) with a research focus on community heritage. He is the author of “Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival”, “Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay”, “Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore”, “Goldfields and the Gothic” and author of “Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum. He is regularly involved in public engagements, festivals and multi-media displays including Ballarat Heritage Weekend and is the co-writer and researcher for the NTAV People’s Choice award winning pod cast series “Tales from Rat City”.
Dr. Jo Clyne is an unusual hybrid of historian and magician. She completed her PhD in history and theatre studies at the University of Melbourne (Australia) in 2015. She has been a history education consultant for the past 15 years and is the current president of the International Museum Theatre Alliance (Asia Pacific). Jo began studying close-up magic in 2007 and has carved out a distinct story- based performance style, often using real historical artefacts in her acts. She recently performed The Witching Hour, a show about superstitious traditions, with Dr David Waldron and debuted her new close-up show at the Melbourne Magic Festival in 2022.
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